


Built In Best Friends

by JetGirl1832, tomatopudding



Series: The Hamilton Family Album [91]
Category: Hamilton - Miranda
Genre: Alternate Universe - Modern Setting, California, Gen, Siblings, YouTube, vlogging - Freeform
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-03-16
Updated: 2018-03-16
Packaged: 2019-04-01 11:21:56
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,992
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/13997226
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/JetGirl1832/pseuds/JetGirl1832, https://archiveofourown.org/users/tomatopudding/pseuds/tomatopudding
Summary: In a way to keep their family updated on their lives Liam and Lizzie start a vlog.





	Built In Best Friends

2027

 

“Okay,” Lizzie said as she looked directly into the camera, “so welcome to our apartment. It’s not much, but it’s home for now.”

“What are you doing?” said a voice off screen. 

Another face appeared, Liam with his lavender hair flopping over one eye. 

“Mom and dad wanted to stay apprised of what’s going on in our lives,” Lizzie told her brother, “and I’m too lazy to write all the time so I figured, why not do a vlog instead.”

“So you’re gonna be a YouTuber?” Liam asked.

Lizzie rolled her eyes, “No. it’s just for mom and dad. Putting the video on YouTube is just easiest. That way, they can just subscribe.”

“Well that’s less fun,” Liam huffed.

“Whatever,” said Lizzie, “Don’t mind him, mama, he’s just being a butt.”

“No I’m not,” Liam was now looking directly at the camera, “hi, now bye I have some sketches to work on for class.”

Lizzie rolled her eyes and turned back to the camera, "Don't mind him."

 

“Mind me a lot!” Liam called from off screen. 

"Then get back on camera!" Lizzie shot back.

There was no response and Lizzie smirked at the camera. 

“I win,” she said, “Anyway, I think that’s all for now because it’s lunch time and I’m hungry. Maybe when I unpack I’ll have you a little tour of home sweet home.”

—————

“It’s me again,” Lizzie smiled at the camera now set up in their kitchen, “and today’s location has been chosen because of the rising number of Liam sightings in the area.”

“Starving artists love kitchens,” Liam said, popping his head into frame, “on account of all the food, you know.”

“You’re not star—“ Lizzie shook her head, “he is not starving mama, don’t listen to him. If he even goes to bed hungry it’s his own damn fault. I’m a great cook, Eli taught me well.”

“Suuuuure,” Liam continued.

“You just enjoy living off of kool aid and Eggo waffles,” Lizzie huffed.

“The diet of champions,” said Liam, raising his arms triumphantly.

“I’ve given up on trying to save him from himself,” Lizzie sighed.

“I am beyond saving,” agreed Liam, “now scootch. You’re blocking the fridge.”

“Not until you say something to mom and dad,” Lizzie folded her arms across her chest.

Liam sighed but plastered a smile on his face, “Hi mom and dad. There’s no need for you to worry about us, there’s a nice man in a trench coat outside our building who always gives us great food. It makes me kind of tired, though.”

“Oh my god, Liam, there is no man in a trench coat,” Lizzie grimaced, “and we are not eating roofied food. Geeze. Do you want mom and dad to make both of us come home?”

 

Liam shrugged his shoulders, “Now move.”

Lizzie sighed and shook her head fondly. 

“You’re lucky I love you,” she said. 

Liam ruffled her hair lightly as he squeezed past in the direction of the fridge. 

“Love you too,” he said. 

 

Lizzie huffed, “Hurry up so I can keep filming.”

“Edit this part out,” Liam replied.

“My reports home are edit-free,” Lizzie informed him tartly.

“Well then you’ll have to deal with it.”

“You’re such a pain,” Lizzie replied.

—————

“Another week, another video,” Lizzie said, spinning in her chair, “I never really expected other people to watch these, didn’t even think to make them private or anything, but here we are almost three months in and I have an actual following! So I guess that means I should keep the embarrassing family stories to a minimum, then.”

 

“You’d better!” Liam’s voice rang out from off screen.

Lizzie leaned in closer and whispered with a grin, “Or I can start filming when he’s not home.”

“Good luck with that,” Liam replied.

“God, do you have supersonic hearing?” Lizzie turned to face him, “besides do you want our viewers to know about your lack of a social life?”

“Didn’t you know that I’m part bat?” Liam teased, “And I do so have a social life. A secret one that you know nothing about.”

“You keep secrets?” Lizzie laughed, “As if.”

“Whatever,” Liam muttered.

 

“There’s no shame in me being your best friend,” Lizzie told him, “I mean, you’re mine.”

“There’s no shame in me being your best friend,” Lizzie told him, “I mean, you’re mine.”

“Awww,” Liam cooed, but the smile on his face showed that he was pleased. 

“Come and sit with me,” Lizzie offered, the same way she always did, “talk to the people.”

“Oh, alright,” agreed Liam. 

“Wait, really?” Lizzie asked gleefully, “Yay! I finally did it!”

"Yeah, well don't think this is a regular thing," Liam replied.

Lizzie grinned, “We’ll see about that.”

“Anyway,” Liam turned to Lizzie, “what were you going to talk about today?”

“People have been asking about what I’m going to school for,” Lizzie said, “and you too, of course.”

Liam’s eyes lit up, “Ooooo.”

"So," Libby leaned back in her chair, "want to tell everyone what you do?"

"I'm an intern at Pixar," Liam grinned, "yes, that Pixar."

“And how did that come about?” Lizzie prompted. 

“I’m doing my degree in animation and special effects,” Liam said, “I really want to be a storyboard artist, so I sent my resume in to Pixar, Disney, and a few other companies that do animated movies. I didn’t really think that I’d get something at a big company, but lo and behold Pixar offered me an unpaid internship with one of their storyboard artists.”

"See kids, dreams really do come true," Lizzie turned to the camera.

Liam chuckled, “If you can dream it, you can do it!”

"Exactly," Lizzie nodded.

“Your turn to talk about yourself,” Liam said, giving his sister a nudge. 

“Right,” Lizzie nodded, “For those of you who were wondering, Liam and I are two years apart so I’m in the first year of my undergrad.”

"And she is baby of the family," Liam added.

“Yeah, so sorry about the whole empty nest thing, mom and dad,” said Lizzie, “but this bird had to fly to California where the movie-makers are. I’m studying art and doing cosmetology school on the side because I want to do makeup and practical effects.”

"Which some of her stuff is pretty cool," Liam added.

Lizzie blushed. 

“It’s all only in the design stages right now,” she said, “concept art and sketches and things. I don’t have the skills or the materials and tools to make any real prosthetics right now.”

"You'll get there," Liam smiled.

Lizzie nudged his shoulder affectionately. 

"Well anything else or should we wrap it up for this week?" Liam asked.

“I’m meeting one of my classmates to work on a project pretty soon, so we should probably sign off,” Lizzie said, “But we’ll be back next week for another update. Oh! And I’m still looking for a title for this vlog, so keep the suggestions coming.”

—————

“Sorry guys I haven’t eaten dinner yet,” Lizzie spoke into the camera.

She lifted up her plate and angled it slightly towards the camera to show her stir fry. 

“My brother-in-law’s recipe,” she said, “thanks for the suggestion, Eli.”

“Scootch over,” Liam told her as he came into frame holding another plate, “let me into the shot too.”

“He’s back, everybody,” Lizzie laughed, “by popular demand and for the fifth week in a row. Face it, Liam, you’re a part of this vlog now.”

“Ehhh,” Liam huffed.

“Anyway,” Lizzie said with a roll of her eyes, “welcome to another episode of the still untitled vlog about my life in California.”

“Our life,” Liam countered, his voice muffled by food.

“I knew you wanted to be a part of this for real,” giggled Lizzie. 

She wasn’t paying too much attention as she lifted her fork to her lips and a drop of sauce fell onto the front of her shirt.

“Nooo,” Lizzie whined.

Liam snorted in amusement, “You’re a mess, Liz.”

“Oh like your so much better?” she countered.

“I’m not the one with sauce on me,” Liam shot back. 

“Which is totally not the norm,” said Lizzie.

“I don’t know what you’re talking about,” Liam folded his arms across his chest.

“I bet that if we both wore all white clothes, you’d be dirtier than me by the end of the day,” Lizzie said, “You’re just lucky that your clothes hide stains.”

“Ha! In your dreams,” smirked Liam, “I bet that if we both wore all white clothes for an entire week, not only would you be dirtier than me, but you would get dirty first!”

“Should this be our first challenge?” Lizzie grinned.

“First insinuates that there will be more,” Liam said, “and I’m not ready for that kind of commitment.”

“But it could be fun,” Lizzie pouted.

“Oh, don’t get me wrong,” Liam said, “I am going to crush you in this cleanliness thing, but don’t expect me to do any more challenges or whatever.”

“We shall see about that,” Lizzie smirked.

“Alright,” Liam said, raising an eyebrow, “you’re on. Tomorrow we’re going shopping for white clothes and then next week the challenge commences. Deal?”

He extended his hand and Lizzie shook it firmly. 

“Deal,” she said.

 

—————

Lizzie and Liam were now sitting in front of camera wearing all white clothing as promised.

 

“As you can see, we went on a little shopping trip,” Lizzie said, indicating their clothing, “and we’re ready for the challenge ahead. But first we need to lay down some ground rules.”

 

“Like what?” Liam asked.

“Well for one, same clothes all week,” Lizzie began.

 

“Pit stains don’t count as being dirty,” Liam put in. 

“Sweat in general doesn’t count,” Lizzie agreed, “Rule number two, you have to film everything that happens, so that there’s no cheating.”

“I can’t film when I’m in the workroom at Pixar,” Liam pointed out. 

“Okay, as much as possible, then,” Lizzie huffed, “Why are you so difficult?”

“Just making a point,” Liam shrugged.

“Anyway,” said Lizzie, “at the end of the week, we’ll come back together to compare.”

“So no seeing each other’s white clothes before the end of the week?” Liam asked. 

“Well, that won't be possible because we have to wear these clothes at dinner and we always have dinner together,” Lizzie pointed out.

“Good point,” Liam nodded.

“So I guess we can check in every day instead,” Lizzie said with a nod.

“Sounds good to me,” Liam held his hand out to Lizzie.

She shook it once again. 

“Let the challenge begin!”

 

—————

Day 1

The first day Lizzie tackled it with a high level of confidence that she conveyed to the camera.

“This is so easy,” Lizzie said, grinning at the small camera in her hand as she walked through campus, “I have pancakes for breakfast and not even a smear of syrup on me. Liam doesn’t stand a chance. I know for a fact that he’s working with colored markers today and he’s terrible at keeping himself clean from those. I on the other hand just need to sit through a few classes,” she continued.

 

—

Meanwhile, Liam’s camera was focused in such a way that it caught his hands but didn’t see the top secret Pixar artwork he was working on. 

“Markers are tough,” Liam said from off camera, “you have to know how to be light with them and how to use layers to get the right shades. Sure, there are some projects where you want solid block colors, but usually not. Especially in this day and age.”

He closed the green marker he was working with and traded it for black. 

“Time to do some details,” he continued on, “and to continue to keep ink off of my hands. I don’t think I’ve ever been this clean working with markers. Usually I just don’t care, but this time...” he leaned down so that part of his face was in view, “I am not losing this challenge.”

—

“Well I just finished class completely stain free!” Lizzie spoke triumphantly into the camera.

 

She was back in their apartment, sitting at the kitchen table. 

“Liam doesn’t get him for another hour and a half,” she said, “so we’ll see if he’s been as successful as me. I was thinking of maybe making something really messy for dinner, but then I realized that I might sabotage myself that way.”

 

She pouted slightly. 

“So instead I’ve been kind,” Lizzie sighed, “used one of my mother’s recipes.”

The video for the next few moments was in fast forward, counting down the hour until Liam got home. It showed Lizzie doing some homework, coming in and out of frame as she prepared dinner, and even a little bit of dancing. Then the video returned to normal speed as it caught the sound of the front door open.

“Honey I’m home!” Liam called out.

“But are you clean?” Lizzie shot back. 

 

“Perfectly clean!” Liam replied.

“What?” Lizzie said incredulously, “Are you serious?”

 

“Oh yeah,” Liam made his way on screen.

Lizzie scrutinized him closely. 

“Damn,” she said, “this may not be as easy as I thought.”

"Told you so," Liam smirked.

 

—————

Day 2

Despite her previous confidence, the first casualty was Lizzie and she caught the whole thing on camera. She had gone to their favorite local pizza spot near their apartment when it happened. Lizzie taking a bite of her Artichoke Chicken Pizza when some sauce escaped and landed on her crisp, white pants. Her camera was sitting on the table pointed towards her, so the descent of the sauce was caught in full. Lizzie looked directly into the camera, her eyes wide.

“Nooo,” Lizzie whined putting the rest of her pizza down.

She glanced between the stain and the camera. 

“Well,” she huffed, “damn. Maybe I can hide this somehow.” She pointed towards the camera, “And no judgement from the peanut gallery.”

After finishing her pizza with a defeated look she walked back to their apartment and grabbed the sweater Liam had left draped across the back of their couch.

“Our little secret,” Lizzie told the camera, shooting a wink as she tied the sweatshirt around her waist, carefully arranging the sleeves so that they covered the stain. 

For the rest of the day Lizzie had not accumulated any more stains on her clothing.

Which was all well and good until Liam got home and noticed the sweatshirt, which was decidedly not white. 

“What are you wearing?” Liam asked.

“I was cold earlier,” Lizzie defended. 

“Uh huh...” Liam folded his arms across his chest.

“Just because we live in California doesn’t mean it doesn’t get cold,” Lizzie replied defensively.

“Why’s it around your waist, then?” Liam asked, “Come on, Lizzie. Turn around and take it off. I bet there’s a stain on your butt right now.”

“There isn’t!” Lizzie replied honestly as she moved away from him.

“Remove the sweatshirt or I’ll remove it for you,” Liam said. 

“I’m telling the truth!” Lizzie insisted, then before Liam could make good on his threat, she turned her back to him and untied the sweatshirt, “See? No butt stains.”

“How about the front?” Liam continued with his investigation reaching for the sweater.

“Okay, okay fine,” Lizzie grumped, throwing down the sweatshirt, “I lost a battle with a slice of pizza. Happy now?”

“Thrilled,” said Liam smugly.

“I hate you,” Lizzie growled walking away from the camera.

The image cut to slightly later, both siblings in front of the camera. 

“So we’ve decided to keep going,” Liam said conversationally, “just to see who can stay the cleanest. Even though officially Lizzie lost.”

“And I am over it,” Lizzie stated, not entirely convincingly.

“I figured,” Liam snorted, “anyway let the games continue.”

“I may have lost the battle, but I will not lose the war,” Lizzie proclaimed.

“Uh huh, Liz just keep reeling yourself whatever you need to hear to keep you happy,” Liam smirked.

 

—————

Day 7

“It’s the end!” Lizzie announced. 

They were seated on their couch, the camera filming from the coffee table. Both of them were covered with large blankets, completely obscuring their white clothes. 

“And that means that it’s time for the big reveal,” Liam added, “As you can see, we’ve hidden ourselves from view so that you can see us all once in our messy, messy glory.”

 

“Alright,” Lizzie stood up, “on three we’ll reveal the sad state of our clothing.”

“One,” Liam said as he stood. 

“Two,” Lizzie continued, both of them grabbing the edge of their blankets. 

“Three!” they chimed in unison, dropping the blankets to the ground.

“Ta da!” Lizzie struck a dramatic pose.

Now, neither of them were covered from head to toe, but they were both pretty splattered with various colors. There was some paint, some marker, different sauces or possibly some oil splatter. Liam even had a charcoal handprint in the middle of his chest.

“At this rate it’s kinda hard to tell who is messier,” Liam confessed.

“Yeah,” agreed Lizzie, “and it may or may not have turned into an all out war by the end.”

“You started that by doing this,” Liam laughed, gesturing to the handprint.

“Only because you’re a jerk,” Lizzie replied, “what about this?” she gestured to the streak of blue near her shoulder.

“That was me,” Liam said proudly, “with a Sharpie.”

“Such a jerk,” Lizzie rolled her eyes.

Liam shrugged, “What can I say?”

Lizzie simply shook her head. 

“So as you can see,” she said, “our experiment was a complete failure.”

“Yup,” Liam nodded.

“Challenge accepted,” Lizzie sighed, “and challenge failed, big time.”

“Oh well,” Liam shrugged, “maybe we’ll do better next time.”

Lizzie gasped, her eyes wide as she faced her brother, “You mean, there will be a next time. I knew you couldn’t resist the allure!”

"Oh hush," Liam glared at her, "this was not a true commitment."

 

“Anyway,” Lizzie said, speaking over him, “this has been the stay clean challenge. Thank you all for sticking around and watching this ridiculousness.”


End file.
